Hello all
I’m pleased to say that I’ve escaped the office a couple of times in the last week in order to join the hive of activity that is the Saltholme site! We’re all really excited now as the building is nearing completion and so our end of January opening is seeming ever closer. It has been great showing a few people round the site (equipped with hard hats and high visibility jackets of course!) as they are always so surprised at how fantastically unique the centre really is and how much thought has gone into the design of the site. The moat in particular seems to really capture people’s imagination, although personally I’ve made it my aim to see the peregrine which has been regularly dropping in – how often do you get to see the fastest animal in the world?
The main site developments to add are: the moat round the building is nearly excavated and the swing bridge mechanism is in place. Inside the building the visitor stairs have been built, the suspended ceiling in the café is in place and the kitchen fit out will be happening at the end of October. We have also received some fantastic artists impressions of how the education rooms will look once decorated, we can’t wait to test them out with school groups!
How little do you think a little egret is? Well I saw my first on a visit to the reserve only last week...well in fact I saw my first, second and third, as to my delight there were three. All sat quite 
still by the edge of one of the new reedbeds we have created. It was one of those grey sunless days where the clouds are low (we’ve had a few of those this year). It was an amazing sight to see how the egret’s snowy-white plumage shone out through the grey day, even whiter than a swan! Long-legged and sharp-billed they are clearly a member of the heron family. But what really surprised me was that little egrets aren’t little at all; they are larger than pigeons, for example. Emma, Saltholme’s Warden, points out that "the name is relative and as far as the egret world is concerned a little egret really is little, it is a lot smaller than a great white egret for example."
Little egrets are commonly seen at Saltholme – come along when we open to see if you can spot one!
Bird Bits
As regular visitors to this page may know I am one of three new faces at the Reserve and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself a wee bit further. I'm Toby, the Assistant Warden, a product of the RSPB’s very successful residential volunteer scheme. I have spent the last six months down at RSPB Minsmere in Suffolk and prior to that I have worked as a fencing contractor, farmhand and ecological field worker. Most of my time at Saltholme will be spent out in the field so I will be keeping my eyes open and notebook hot as I scribble down my sightings of birds, the more interesting of which will be reported on these blog pages.
September and October are the changeover months in the bird calendar when we say goodbye to our summer residents and welcome our winter guests. It is also the time when more uncommon migrating species are seen, as they are moved off their usual course by varying weather conditions.
The large bodies of water we have at the Reserve act as a draw for the black and white ospreys; but unfortunately not enough to keep them. Both were single birds flying through on their way south where they will stay in sub-Saharan Africa before heading back up in March. Another summer raptor on the reserve was a young hobby; this agile falcon will be following the osprey’s lead and heading to Africa to spend the winter.
Our other wildfowl numbers have been steadily increasing over the last few weeks and our open water holds large numbers of wigeon, gadwall, and teal, while smaller numbers of shoveler and pintail can be found amongst them. Golden plover, lapwing and curlew are also settling in for the winter, which is good news for our local peregrine falcons. One of the reserve’s most spectacular sights is when this large powerful falcon is on the hunt, skimming low across the grassland or swooping into a dive from high above. A good indication of when a peregrine is in the area is a sky full of birds as they all congregate into one large flock, hoping to evade the hunters grasp and avoid becoming it’s next meal, a sight you will hopefully see when you come and visit us!
Look forward to seeing you all on the reserve in the New Year!
Join us!
If you’re interested in joining the Saltholme team we will shortly be advertising for a Catering Supervisor (closing date for applications is 29th October and interview date is 7th November) and are currently advertising for a Community Officer (closing date for applications is 24th October and interview date is 4th November). See the vacancy page on the RSPB website for further information.
Feed The Birds Day – Want to know more about Saltholme or feeding birds? Come and talk to us at the Peter Barratt’s Garden Centre in Stockton on Friday 24th October where we will be between 11 and 2.
Posted by Emily Smith and Toby Collett